


Life After Deth

by zsomeone



Category: Metalocalypse
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-08-06
Updated: 2009-08-06
Packaged: 2018-03-16 17:05:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3496172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zsomeone/pseuds/zsomeone
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The fall of Dethklok, and beyond.<br/>Emil belongs to someone else, I borrowed him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Giant Falls

**Author's Note:**

> The year is 2040, and an aging Ofdensen reflects.

Where have all the years gone? It often seems like it was only yesterday...  
They want to turn the Haus into a museum, a tourist attraction. It would take a ton of work to restore it back to the days of Dethklok, the parts still in use are barely recognizable anymore. Eventually we will all allow this to happen. Dethklok was a giant, a phenomena that will never be repeated. As good as Extinction is, they’re still just another band.

We were an empire. Perhaps I shouldn’t include myself, but I was a part of it too. The world had never seen a force like that, and never will again. When it seemed that they could go no higher, somehow they always did.  
It was about the time that the children started spending a lot of time with us that things started to change. There’s nothing like children to make you feel mortal, feel old. In their presence, the ‘no caring’ rule just kind of ceased to exist.

Back when Emil first came to the Haus, they all fell for him. I even heard Murderface muttering something about why did they ever think those paternity wavers were a good thing?  
But Emil was Toki’s, and that made him like Skwisgaar’s as well. They were his fathers. The rest of us had to be content as surrogate uncles, but we loved him too. 

A couple years later when Seth was once again imprisoned, Pickles came to me and announced that he wanted to seek custody of Sarah. He hadn’t had many opportunities to spend time with her, but he loved her to death.   
Since her mother had abandoned them about a year previously, it was an easy win, and Sarah came to live with us. In no time at all, she won all our hearts as well. 

Murderface appointed himself her other “official” uncle, and spoiled her rotten. He always wanted to be an official something, it seemed. We were all surprised to learn that he was actually a very good storyteller, they kids loved it. He was always the hero, no surprise, but they never could get enough of his tales. Outlandish stuff, I listened in on one about how he defeated a dragon with only a toothpick, and saved the beautiful princess.  
He was big on saving princesses.  
Emil would roll his eyes at those parts, but Sarah ate it up.

Having a girl growing up in the Haus led to some interesting things. She loved to play with hair, and would restyle them all at every opportunity. Skwisgaar, Nathan, and Toki were all fair game. (She would usually limit herself to barrettes when making the rare attempt to style Murderface.) And Pickles, well Pickles had run out of hair by then. He had taken to wearing bandanas again, back in those days.  
Skwisgaar would pretend he didn’t like it, but then whisper to her to make sure she did the best job on him.   
Nathan, the only one who never seemed as close to the kids, would still let her play with his hair whenever she wanted, except right before a show. He said there was no way was he going on stage in braids and ribbons.  
But Toki did once.

They were growing very tired of their fame, how they couldn’t go anywhere without causing a riot. They wanted to step down, but it wasn’t possible. They were by far the largest economy in the world by then, they simply couldn’t quit.  
Concerts became fewer, public appearances far in between. They didn’t want in anymore, fame takes a heavy toll, yet they kept on going.  
Finally they refused to tour at all, but nothing changed. We hid away in the Haus, and they still recorded the occasional rare album. Each and every one debuted at the top and stayed there.

As a joke, except he really wasn’t kidding, Nathan wanted to make a single of them just recording their farts. He wanted to see if it would automatically be a #1 hit, and I allowed it because I was curious as well.  
They actually did it, and sadly, “Our Farts” was indeed a hit. People quickly discovered that if you cranked up the volume to the point where the farts were deafening, you could faintly hear them talking and joking in the background. A clip of Skwisgaar muttering something “... for de jackoff fanboy dildos” was isolated and played on the radio often. It was the clearest and most complete line anyone was able to pull from it.

Then thirteen years ago, in 2027, it suddenly ended.  
Quietly, on that fateful morning when the drummer simply didn’t wake up.   
I hate to remember how long it took us to notice, but we had no reason to check in on him, he often slept late. But that time he wasn’t sleeping, or rather, he was sleeping forever.  
Pickles had surprised us all by dying peacefully in his sleep, naturally. He wasn’t that old, but the years of fast living had worn him down.  
The press tried to say he OD’ed, but he had been clean for years and we knew better.

The fallout was tremendous, there were mass suicides and rioting.   
The guys refused to even consider going on without Pickles, they were finished. Nathan, in the first press conference in probably ten years, announced that Dethklok was over, leading to further worldwide hysteria.  
It seemed possible, back then, that the world would never recover from this blow.

We managed to keep his funeral private, but it wasn’t easy. Emil came home from college but he was the only person allowed to pass the gates.   
Pickles was gone. It just wouldn’t sink in, every where I looked I expected to see his crooked grin. And every time he wasn’t there, the pain returned.  
As unmetal as it was, we all cried. Most of them tried to hide it at first, but they couldn’t. It was okay, we were a family. Then Sarah, clinging to her Uncle William, read a poem she wrote and that finished us all off. We cried like babies.

Pickles’s will was no surprise to me, after all I wrote it. He left everything he had to Sarah, his niece. She accepted it gratefully, an bit awestruck. She was now the owner of 1/5 of the Dethklok empire. The guys were fine with it, and felt it was only fitting.  
Sarah had recently turned eighteen, and decided to leave for a while to travel Europe. She felt the need to get out of the Haus, and planned to eventually settle somewhere over there.  
But I always knew that someday she’d return to Mordhaus. 

Only William and Toki ever recorded again. William was determined to finally see Planet Piss make it out of his mind and into the world. Toki offered to help him record, and they picked up a few other musician to complete the band.  
They did two short semi-successful tours before calling it quits and retiring for good.

Slowly, they all left the Haus. I remained, as I had nowhere to go. The captain goes down with the ship, they always say. I didn’t know what I was waiting for, hoping for. I suppose I just couldn’t let go. I would inherit nothing, only a home for as long as I wanted to live here, and income for life. I don’t expect to outlive them anyway. As old as we all now, they’re all still younger than me.

Nathan went back to Florida, and kept a very low profile. I still got the occasional email from him on holidays, but aside from lyrics, Nathan was never much for writing. He has a little house on a private beach, and sounds like he’s reasonably content.  
He rarely comes back to visit, and the few times he has, he just didn’t seem comfortable here anymore. Too many memories, everywhere you look.

Toki and Skwisgaar don’t live too far away, and visit sometimes. Toki’s old room was left almost as it was, and always ready for them if they want to stay the night, or a few days. A bigger bed was the only real change we ever made to it.  
They bought a little house surrounded by woods, nice and private. They have a hot tub of course, and Toki has a “plane room” as he call is. He still likes to build models, and Skwisgaar can’t stand having them all over the place. So they compromised, as they always do.

Murderface bought a bar, and even though he will deny it, has since helped a lot of musicians and bands climb the ladder over the years.   
There are some rooms above it, I think he told me it was a whorehouse many years ago, and he lives there. He’d taken in a young couple, kind of adopted them I suppose. They helped him out, and he gave them a place to live.   
He was never half as hard hearted as he always pretended to be.

After college, Emil returned to Mordhaus and remained with me. He had his degree, but was trying to decide what he really wanted to do with his life. He’s played in a few bands, not seriously, but I knew he was considering just going for it. He knew, of course, that there would never be another Dethklok, that was never his goal. He’s an extremely talented guitarist, although that comes as no surprise. With Toki as his father and Skwisgaar as his teacher, how could he possibly be anything else?

Meanwhile in Germany, Sarah had gotten engaged to a restaurant owner. She was still so young, but what could I do? A background check on him turned up nothing suspicious, and she was an adult. Her inheritance from Pickles was not public knowledge, so I didn’t worry that he was only after her money. As there was nothing I could do, I wished her the best.

Then one night she showed up suddenly on the Mordhaus steps, surrounded by all her belongings.  
She’d caught him cheating, and that was that. I of course, offered to have him killed, but she declined. She just didn’t want anything more to do with him, ever.  
Determined to reinvent herself and start over, she had chosen the name “Dilly”, in honor of her Uncle Pickles. She also dyed her hair a dark maroon color, which I thought suited her well.   
Emil was only supportive, and once again they became inseparable. They were talking of starting a band, and asked my advice. How could I be anything but encouraging?

None of us were surprised when Emil and Dilly got married. It was a private celebration and we kept it low profile, the media still loves this sort of thing.   
The guys all came. It was good to see them again, but at the same time, very strange. We hadn’t all been together like this in years, and the absence of Pickles was all the more real.  
Murderface has changed the least over the years.  
Toki still has his long hair, but there’s grey in it now. Otherwise he’s aging pretty well.   
Skwisgaar and Nathan both cut their hair, and I’m still surprised every time I see them.

Sarah and Emil moved into Skwisgaar’s old room, newly redecorated to suit their tastes.


	2. Extinction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Excerpts from the journal of Charles Foster Ofdensen 1960-2053

Sarah can sing amazingly well, and Emil is an incredible guitarist. They’re going forward with starting their own band. I suggested they talk to William, he can probably recommend some musicians. Sarah, _Dilly_ , can wrap him around her little finger, she’s always been able to get him to do what she wants. He’ll do it for her.  
They ask me, can they all live in the Haus, and will I stay? Will I help them?  
I’m getting way too old for this, I really am, but I’ll try. How can I deny these two, the very blood of my Dethklok?

Murderface comes through, and they try out his recommendations. Jon, his adopted “son”, is a solid rhythm guitarist, although nowhere near Toki’s caliber. He’s married and has three kids, so once again there will be children in the Haus. Their boys call Murderface ‘Grampa’, and he clearly adores them.  
I offer them their choice of rooms, and they select Nathan’s old room, and the one next to it. Stacy, his wife, immediately starts redecorating, making them cozy. 

Then they selected the twins, Fedir and Grigor, transplants from the Ukraine. Brothers, a bassist and a drummer, they spoke very little English and seemed to have no desire to learn more.  
They kept to themselves, very quiet boys that never joined in the group. But they played very well. It was as if they conserved energy at all times, only to unleash it on stage.

They chose to call themselves 'Extinction'. When I asked why, they explained that after the Metalocalypse, there is only Extinction.   
That’s what they called it back then when Dethklok fell, the Metalocalypse. It’s fitting, the resulting fallout nearly destroyed the world, and recovery is still ongoing in places.  
Nothing will ever really be the same again.

Once again, there is a band living in the Haus. The gears are long gone, dismissed years ago. We do have a small live-in staff, but they’re regular people and they didn’t have to kill anyone to get the job. A few housekeepers, a gardener, and a cook. Their salaries are unfortunately quite small, but they get room and board included. And of course, the opportunity to live in Mordhaus. I caught one of the maids rubbing one of William’s knife scars in the big table with a look of wonder. She blushed when she saw me.

Extinction was an instant success, but they were not satisfied. They wanted to be known for themselves, not because of their relations to Dethklok.   
But as time when on, they became secure in the knowledge that their fans were their own. Album sales, which had initially been high and then dropped, climbed back up. They had fans, they had a following, they were known.

Jon was in a motorcycle accident while on their 5th tour, and broke his arm badly. No, not the Murdercycle, that’s long gone, just his own personal bike.  
He was terrified of being replaced, but there was no way he could play, and the tour wasn’t even half over.   
To my surprise, Toki stepped up and volunteered, finishing the tour with them.   
Jon chose to remain and finish touring with them, even if he couldn’t play.   
Skwisgaar stayed at Mordhaus while they were gone, so Stacy could look after him. He doesn’t do well on his own these days. It was good to have him there.

The crowd, seeing Toki on the stage, started chanting for them to play Dethklok songs. They conferred, and Dilly went to get Jon. They’d played some just for fun in practice before, but never live. Jon was capable of doing a halfway decent Nathan imitation when he wanted to, although he lacked Nathan’s raw power. Dilly and Jon took the mike, and they played Hatredcopter.

It wasn’t exactly right. Emil and Toki were perfect, but the others just did the best they could with it. The crowd didn’t care, they loved it anyway.  
It was so strange seeing Toki on stage again, and playing with Emil. With Emil’s blond hair, I could almost pretend it was Skwisgaar up there, my Dethklok.  
It seems the older I get, the more I live in the past. Maybe this is just the way the mind works, for everyone.

Skwisgaar has avoided all public appearances for the last fifteen years, and hasn’t been on a stage since Dethklok’s last concert. I think he still plays though, I really can’t imagine Skwisgaar _not_ playing, but he won’t perform, not even when asked. He doesn’t want anyone to see him. I don’t really understand it, we’re all getting old, but I don’t argue with him.  
Toki takes care of everything they need, it doesn’t bother him to be recognized.

I had to step down, I just couldn’t handle managing them anymore. Emil is perfectly capable, he has his business degree and had been helping me for years. I will always be there to offer advice if they need it, but I’m retiring.  
This leaves them without a house lawyer, but they don’t really need one, this is not Dethklok. On the occasions that one is necessary, they plan to simply hire somebody.

Emil has been declared the fastest guitarist alive. The diehard Dethklok fans protested, not wanting Skwisgaar to lose his title, loyal to the end.   
Toki made an appearance and said how he and Skwisgaar were very proud of him, although they didn’t need a ‘dildos’ study to tell them that he’s the best there is.   
The public has long since accepted that Toki speaks for Skwisgaar.


	3. Only Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The year is 2067, and Sarah (Dilly) writes this final part.

Someone from the renovation society found this long-hidden journal, and passed it on to us since we hold 3/5 of the fading Dethklok empire.  
Dear Charles never finished it, and truly he would not have been able to, as three of them outlived him. This one ends in ‘40, surely there was more? Or perhaps he just grew tired? 

I edited out a lot, at some point his focus shifted for Dethklok to Extinction, our lives and our children. Although I treasure these accounts, I feel they have no real place in this.   
As for Dethklok, they are all long gone now, but I will finish the tale. I admit I’ve cut out a lot, Charles wrote down so many personal moments. That’s fine, he was one of us, but it feels wrong to let others read those. In their memory, I choose preserve their privacy and their peace.

But for those who may have forgotten, we disbanded Extinction in ‘43. It had been a good run, but we were ready to step down and just be normal people. The Haus was too big and empty for us anyway, only Charles, Emil, myself, and our children remained in residence at that point. Upkeep was impossible, it was time to move on

Uncle William had asked Jon and Stacy to move back in with him, and they agreed. We still keep in touch, although we don’t get around to visiting as much as I would like to.   
Fedir and Grigor just kind of disappeared. We were never very close to them anyway, so I can’t say what became of them. I wish them well, where ever they are.  
But enough about all of us, this is supposed to be the tale of the Dethklok empire.

Mordland was finally turned over to the preservation society in ‘45, and has since been fully restored. The Haus reopened for business in ‘49, with still some work in progress, but was completed in a few short years later. They hold daily tours, and it’s probably the most popular attraction in the whole world. I went once, alone, just to see. It was so strange, my old home, all sterile and official, but looking so much as it did when I was a little girl. Despite myself, I expected to see them all every time I turned a corner, and of course they weren’t there.   
I never went back.

We lost dear Skwisgaar back in the spring of ‘46. Toki was going to the store, and Skwisgaar had announced that he was going to take a nap. Toki told us that he knew as soon as he walked back in the door, even though he looked like he was just sleeping.  
Although it wasn’t technically legal, we carried out his wishes and gave him a true Viking funeral. He wanted no grave for people to flock to, he wanted to be free at last. He’s been a recluse for years, seeing only Toki, Emil, and myself, and never leaving the house.   
I miss him still.

Toki moved in with us, not wanting to live in his house anymore without Skwisgaar, and we were happy to have him. The kids were thrilled he was there, they loved him so much. He was an odd figure, slim to the end, and although it thinned some, he never lost or cut his hair. It eventually turned snow white, and still halfway down his back. Our sweet, sad Toki.

Charles passed away in ‘53, at the assisted living facility he’d chosen for himself. After taking care of everyone else for years, he said he didn’t want to have to deal with anything at all. He’d seemed quite content there, and we visited him regularly. Sometimes Toki would go with us, if Skwisgaar was okay with being alone for a little while. Of course we tried to get him to come too, but he always refused. Toki took such good care of him.   
Of course, in the later years, Toki always came along.

Uncle William died in ‘54. He’d been diagnosed with cancer, and by the time the doctors caught it, they couldn’t offer much hope. It was ruled it as suicide, but we understood, it was his way of fighting to the end. He wouldn’t submit, become a worn weak shell, he chose his time.  
He willed everything to Jon, the closest thing he ever had to a son. We were glad.  
Jon and Stacy had been helping him for years, and basically running the place by that time. Now they own it, and are doing very well.  
We buried William in their family’s cemetery, a small private ceremony.

We lost Nathan in ‘57, and didn’t even find out for three weeks.   
He kept to himself, very low profile. He’d apparently become a male version of the crazy cat lady, the harmless person everyone knows about but no one is close to. People hadn’t associated him with Dethklok for a very long time, which was what he seemed to want. He’d had a little boat, I think he fished a lot. I hope he was happy.  
Despite my best efforts, he didn’t keep in touch.   
He left his share to several animal shelters and we felt this was fitting, he always loved the kitties.

Toki was with us until ‘62, although he was sometimes confused by then. He seemed to forget that he was old, then would look in a mirror and get all depressed. Occasionally he would call Emil ‘Skwisgaar’, even though there’s no real resemblance beyond the blond hair.  
Toward the end, I often overheard him talking to Skwisgaar in his room. Perhaps he was just a bit senile, but I’ve seen too many strange things in my life to simply discount it. I’d like to believe that it was real, that Skwisgaar was there waiting for him, reassuring him, and now they are together once again.

Now our kids are grown and finding their paths in life, we are alone. Dethklok is a legend now, no one remembers that they were also just men. Emil and I, we can’t forget. We grew up playing in those halls, with them. They were our true family, and we will never forget them.

 

Sarah Wartooth   
April 17, 2067


End file.
